The House of Hades
by HackedByAWriter
Summary: ***ON HIATUS*** My version of The House of Hades. Feel free to read it, even though it's on hiatus. I might continue again, after I finish Gone With The Wind.
1. I

**Okay, new first chapter, recreated from scratch. If you're new with my story, this is a re-make of my suckish first chapter. **

**If you're re-reading it, I hope you like this one a _lot _better. I tried to add more action, and a warning, I know I alternate between the Argo and Tartarus, but I'm starting with Percy's POV. So, yeah.**

**Enjoy!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Percy**

Okay, so falling at about forty five miles an hour to his potential death wasn't the hardest thing Percy had faced.

However, he would be lying if he said that.

All he could see was black. Black, black, and more black. Screams echoed from all directions, and he was freezing. He could barely hear anything over the screeching wind in his ears. The only thing keeping him from screaming like a little schoolgirl was his girlfriend's clammy hand in his.

He tried to call out to Annabeth, just to know that she was even alive. But when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. Instead he settled for a light squeeze. She returned it, and he was overjoyed to know that she was alright.

_Stupid._

Of course she wasn't alright! She just went on a crazy quest following some Mark of Athena, broken her ankle, faced down a psycotic spider lady, and fell into a pit. How could _anyone _be alright if that happened?

Suddenly, he spotted the ground. it looked like concrete. That couldn't be good. He did the obvious thing. Despite Annabeth's struggling and pounding on his chest, he faced his back towards the ground.

* * *

He didn't remember blacking out. Or any pain, for that matter. He only remembered waking up after falling. Falling so fast.

_Why would that be? _He asked himself.

Then he spotted Annabeth sitting against a wall. Her ankle looked re-wrapped and she seemed to be asleep. He groaned and she was at his side in an instant. So much for her being asleep.

"Oh my gods, Percy. That was the bravest but most stupid thing I think you've ever done. And that's saying something! You are _such _a Seaweed Brain!" She exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Wow, love you too, Wise Girl," He said sarcastically.

"Shut up." She whacked him lightly.

He tried to sit up, but he yelled in pain. His back killed! Annabeth muffled it by stufffing some squashed ambrosia into his mouth. He relaxed a little.

"Your backpack broke your fall," She explained. "It would be a lot worse if you didn't have it. It's also a good thing you had bandages in there. There was enough to wrap your back and my ankle. Your ambrosia was squished, but the canteen of nectar survived okay."

"Well that's good."

Annabeth nodded eagerly. "And look!" She said. "While you were asleep, I went exploring. I found my dagger and my laptop!"

"How did your laptop survrive the fall?"

She shrugged. "Daedalus was an absolute genius."

"Um, how long was I out?" Percy asked.

"Maybe an hour or so. Not bad. But I realized something! I read once-"

Percy groaned. She was always reading. Annabeth gave him her death glare.

"_I read once_," She continued. "That it takes nine days to fall to Tartarus. It's only been about two."

"Um, okay..."

Annabeth sighed in defeat. "It means something's not right! I have no idea what, but it's weird."

"Okay, I'm not going to pretend that I kow what you're getting at, so let's just take that passage." Percy suggested.

"Fine," Annabeth grumbled.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, but it was very painful. Annabeth took it instead. She helped him to stand and they hobbled down the tunnel. There were twists and turns, dead ends and traps. They fought off monsters left and right. But one monster in particular was harder to defeat.

The Minotaur was blocking their path. This time, he wore even more armor than in the war.

Percy groaned inwardly. This was the _third freaking time _he had come face with old Beef Brain. The thing turned around and _moo_-ed at the demigods, taking out its double-sided ax.

"Perfect," Percy muttered. "Annabeth, stay behind me."

"No way! You can barely walk with your back like that!"

"Really? _I _can barely walk? Your ankle is broken!"

"No, the ambrosia healed it! It's only sprained!"

The Minotaur bowed his head, getting ready to charge.

"Annabeth!"

"Percy!"

The thing ran at them. Both sidestepped him.

"Over here, Meat Man! Oh man, you're hideous. I mean, _whoa, _dude! Don't they have salons down here?"

Just as he was about to charge again, Annabeth called out.

"Hey, you old cow!" She shouted. "Speaking of salons, ever heard of CC's Spa and Resort? They turned people into cute little guinea pigs! You would make a great guinea pig, you know that?"

The thing bellowed and barreled towards her. She swiped at it with her dagger and its hand was cut off. The Minotaur roared in agony, dropping his weapon. Percy took his chance and grabbed the ax. It was so heavy! And it was basically murdering his back.

"Annabeth, out of the way!" He cried. She saw what he was doing and obeyed while the Minotaur was off guard. With a grunt and a battle cry, Percy ran at the beast and chopped its head clean off. Blood went everywhere. All that was left of the monster was a pile of dust and another horn.

Both were panting heavily.

"Are you okay, Percy? I have some more ambrosia. And here, have some nectar, too!"

As she handed him the godly food, he thought of something. It would explain the maze-like structure, the traps, and the Minotaur.

"Annabeth?" He said around a mouthful of ambrosia.

"Mmm?"

"Is it possible that the Labyrinth is... back?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! **

**Oh no, not the Labyrinth again! Hope you liked the chapter!**


	2. II

**HELLO! I'm really sorry I don't post very quickly. I'm a busy girl. Anyways, I took a suggestion and made a long Percy/Annabeth chapter. Next will be on the Argo ll, then Percy/Annabeth. You get the picture. I don't really have a certain day for posting yet, but I'll try my best on weekends. **

**P.S. Some people don't think I should do the Labyrinth, but others do. I'm kinda leaning towards keeping it, but you guys tell me. I'll postpone it for now, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna write about it!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Annabeth**

Usually she would roll her eyes at Percy. She loved him, but sometimes he had the stupidest ideas. But right now, he may have said something smart.

"I- I don't know," She said. "This is Tartarus, Percy. I don't know much about it, but I don't think the Labyrinth would run through here. Besides, Tartarus is a bottomless pit. We probably just landed on a ledge or something. And remember Daedalus sacrificed himself to kill the Labyrinth?"

"Could the Doors of Death work on other things besides people and monsters?" He asked. Annabeth chewed her lip. She wasn't actually sure. She was about to answer when a cold wind washed through the tunnel.

"Eidolons?" She said nervously.

"They swore on the River Styx not to harm us," Percy said. He drew his sword, anyways. The wind rippled, like laughter. _My precious pawns, _Gaia's voice echoed through the corridor. _Go straight. Many horrors await you. Your blood will be spilled on the stones. I will rise. _

Annabeth wished she still had her backpack so she could put on her jacket. She also wanted her knife, for any monsters that attacked them (which was guaranteed, considering where they were). Percy put his sword in front of him. It cast a faint glow, giving the hall an eerie light.

"Should we turn around?" He asked.

"Maybe," Annabeth said. "But she could be deceiving us. I have a feeling that no matter which way we go, nothing good will happen."

"Straight it is," Percy said. They walked down the corridor. Suddenly there was a tremor, like an earthquake above them. Rubble rained down from the ceiling. They froze. When nothing happened, they turned to keep going, but they seemed to have reached a dead end.

"No way," Breathed Annabeth. "I saw it. It went farther than this!"

_Look again, little heroes, _Gaia apparently hadn't left yet.

Then she realized that this was Gaia's home turf, since she was the goddess of the Earth and also married to the god Tartarus. So Mother Earth was making their lives difficut, naturally.

"Annabeth," Percy pointed to his left. A new passage had appeared. "Do we have to-?" He asked.

Annabeth looked down as far as she could. She took a deep breath.

"That's the only way," She said.

They began walking, with Annabeth in front. When they reached the end, she almost fell in to a huge chasm. Thankfully, Percy grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards. Dirt and pebbles fell over the side. Annabeth waited to hear them land, but instead she heard nothing.

"Thanks," She told Percy.

"No problem." He replied.

They stared down into the darknesss.

"So we _had _landed on a ledge," She noticed.

"Which means there's no Labyrinth?" Percy asked. He actually had a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I doubt it, but I guess it's still possible."

"So now what?"

"I'm thinking," She said.

If they jumped, that would be suicide. They had no resources to make a ladder like she had when she was following The Mark of Athena. She hated that owl so much. That's the whole reason they were in this mess. No. Scratch that. She blamed her mother. Wait. Hera. That was it. If it weren't for Hera, the war wouldn't have started, the gods wouldn't be having their schizophrenia phase, and Annabeth and Percy would _not _be in Tartarus.

_Concentrate, Annabeth. _She told herself. _Right now you just need to focus on getting yourselves_ _out_ _of the bottomless pit infested with monsters._

"I guess we go back and regroup for now." She said.

"You mean you don't have a plan?"

Annabeth shook her head.

"Wow, Wise Girl," Percy said. "I think you hit your head or something."

She slapped her boyfriend. He shut up.

They walked back down the tunnel. They stopped short when they heard a low growl.

"What-" Percy didn't finish his thought because just then, an enormous Hellhound jumped out of the darkness and tackled him.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed.

Gods, she was glad she had her knife.

She heard the creature growling and Percy struggling. She got ready to charge the monster, but before she could react, the thing was thrown into the wall and Percy was lying on the ground, panting.

"Oh my gods, Percy! Are you okay?" She said, running to his side. He sat up and rubbed his head. He had a cut on his cheek and his lip was bleeding. It could have been much worse. The Hellhound was whimpering, but soon it turned into another growl.

"Run!" He yelled, springing to his feet. "I'm fine, really! Just _go_!"

They sprinted down the tunnel, but Annabeth was exhausted and had no energy left from her quest. The pain in her ankle was getting worse. After a few minutes, she stumbled. Percy caught her. She nearly passed out.

"Stay with me, Wise Girl, it's still behind us." Percy's voice kept her awake. She groaned and he scooped her up bridal style and carried her the rest of the way. Suddenly he stopped.

"Annabeth, we're at the edge of the pit, and that hound's still coming." He said.

She didn't really process what he was saying; the pain was too great. She heard a loud bark. The Hellhound was getting closer.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," Percy whispered. He gently kissed her forehead and then they were falling. Falling into the darkness once again.

"Still- together," She managed to say before everything went black.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Ha HA! If you want to read any further about Percy and Annabeth, you'll have to wait, because the next chapter will be on the Argo ll. Keep those comments coming!**


	3. III

**Hi all! Sorry the chapter's late! I haven't had a lot of time lately. On the bright sid, it's a Percy chapter! Yay! It's a little bit shorter than the previous chapter, though. Just a heads up. Again, I'm really really sorry it's late! Anyway, happy Thanksgiving for those of you in the US! Make sure you eat lots of turkey! **

**-KOOK**

**Disclaimer: Still hasn't changed, and it never will. *Sigh***

**Percy**

_Percy Jackson, what were you_ _thinking?_ Was all he could think as they fell into never ending darkness for the second time in 24 hours. That was two times too many for him. He pulled Annabeth closer. He was mentally slapping himself in the face. He had jumped _off of a ledge _and taken Annabeth with him. Some boyfriend he was.

"Annabeth," He said softly.

When she didn't answer, Percy started to panic.

"Annabeth?" He asked, more urgently. Still nothing. Styx.

So there they were, two demigods falling through never-ending darkness (again), one still consious, the other not so much. Yippee.

Percy pulled out his sword and dropped it. He only waited less than a minute before it reappeared in his pocket as a pen. That meant that they were close to landing on another ledge or something. He guessed that it would take about thirty seconds to hit the ground.

Unfortunately, his guess was incorrect. Turns out, they were only about ten seconds from hitting the ground.

The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the rough floor. When he was able to sit up, he immediately yelled in pain. It felt as though there were flames running through the veins and artiries of his left arm. He looked at it and- oh gods. Was it supposed to do that? He grabbed some ambrosia and stuffed it into his mouth. It felt a little better, but it still hurt. He shoved the bag of the godly food back into his pocket. He didn't want to eat too much.

His eyes scanned his surroundings. There was no roof of course. He heard struggling. On the ground lay something he had prayed was destroyed. But as he knew, the gods were stubborn.

Directly across from him was Arachne's woven prison. It wriggled around as the Queen of Spiders tried to escape. He couldn't make out everything she said, but he knew he heard _Daughter of Athena_ more than once.

"Percy?" Annabeth's voice called out from the darkness. How could he have forgotten her?

"_Vlacas._" Percy had been calling himself an idiot for a while now.

At least she was awake. Thank the gods.

The trap stopped moving. "Is that you, daughter of Athena?" Arachne called.

Annabeth looked at Percy, her eyes full of fright.

"I thought she was-" She didn't finish.

_Dead. _Percy thought. He ran to her side. "Me, too. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm- ouch! Fine," She said, wincing as she moved her ankle. It was bent at a funny angle. It was a lot worse than earlier. Her eyes kept darting from his to Arachne.

"Uh... hang on. I have some ambrosia..." Percy said, digging around in his pocket.

"No, Percy. We need to ration the ambrosia. I'm fine, really. What happened to your arm?"

"That's not important. Your ankle-"

"Percy, it looks awful!"

"Have you seen your foot? It's-"

"It _is_ you! I will get my revenge, daughter of-" Arachne began.

"She has a name, you know!" Percy said instinctively.

Annabeth glanced warily at the trap. "Percy, the trap. The fall wore it out. She can escape." She said, her voice low.

Just as she said it, the Chinese Spider-cuffs burst open.

"You-" The spider turned to Annabeth after a shocked moment. "I will destroy you, child!"

"Percy," Annabeth whimpered.

"It's okay. I won't let her hurt you. I promise." He said, taking out his sword.

"Come, children! Serve me!" Arachne cried. About five unnaturally large spiders crawled out of the darkness. All of them were the size of wolves.

"Oh my gods," Annabeth breathed. She bagan hyperventilating.

"Annabeth, relax."

"Look at them, Percy! They're huge!"

Percy looked into the eight eyes of one of the spiders. It snapped it's mandibles as if to mock them.

"Get them." Arachne ordered. At once the spiders closed in on the two demigods.

"Percy!" Annabeth half-shouted.

"Annabeth," He muttered to her. "What did I just say?"

"You won't let them hurt me?"

"Exactly. I _promised _that I wouldn't."

She took a deep breath and positioned herself so that they were back to back. It was automatic by now. This had been their battle position since they were twelve.

"Let's do this." She said, trying to sound brave.

The first spider lunged at Annabeth and she turned away as she stabbed with her knife. The creature fell dead.

"Ew," Annabeth whimpered.

Then the other four spiders attacked at once. Percy wondered if any of them were poisonous.

For the next handful of minutes, the two of them stabbed and blocked, but the spiders just kept coming. Percy couldn't see Annabeth, but he knew that she was frightened. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell how she was doing. Occasionaly she would squeak in terror.

One of the bigger, hairier ones jumped at him. He deflected it with his blade, but not before the spider bit him on his bad arm. It didn't hurt at first; in fact, he didn't feel anything. But after a few minutes, his arm began to get tired, and he felt woozy.

Another spider attacked him, but all he could do was slowly raise his sword in defense. It wasn't enough, though. This spider bit him again, and he collapsed on the ground.

"Percy?" Annabeth turned to him, her eyes wide. "What-"

"Annabeth, look out!" He cried.

Arachne caught her off gaurd, swiping her aside with her hairy legs. Annabeth hit the wall with a thud.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted when she crumpled to the ground.

"Finish him," Arachne ordered the spiders. She scuttled over to Annabeth.

"No!" The spiders swarmed him. By now he knew for a fact that they were poisonous. He could barely move from the first bite. The poison had entered his bloodstream. He only hoped it wasn't deadly.

As he was losing consiousness, he could see Annabeth standing up and brandishing her knife. But she was so weak thet she collapsed on the spot. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Arachne sinking her pincers into Annabeth's arm.

* * *

When Percy woke up, he hurt all over, especially on his arm. But thankfully, he wasn't dead. The poison was probably similar to the Manticore's, meaning it wounded you, but it didn't kill you. It took a minute before reality came flooding back to him.

_I am in Tartarus. I need to close the Doors of Death. I will probably die. I am with my girlfriend. _He told himself.

Wait. Was he in Tartarus? Definitely. Did he need to close the doors? Well of course! Was he probably going to die? It seemed likely. Was he with his girlfriend? Ummm...

"Annabeth?" He called. No answer.

He turned his head and wished he hadn't. Arachne was gone, but he saw the limp figure of Annabeth about fifteen feet away from him. He got up with difficulty and walked over to her, stepping over dead spiders. Her arm had a large puncture wound from when Arachne bit her. It was bleeding badly. Percy wondered how long she had been like this.

A familiar cold wind surrounded him.

_You know that she is dead, yes? _Gaia's voice echoed through the chamber.

"No. Stop decieving me." Percy snapped.

_You saw what had happened to her. Arachne's bite is poisonous, mind you._

"I don't believe you," Percy said through gritted teeth.

_Why not? You know that there is no denying it, my pawn._

"I'm not your pawn."

The chamber shook, like the goddess was laughing.

_I see. Do you know why you are down here?_

"Because a certain spider tried to kill my girlfriend."

_Of course not. It is because _I _opened the pit. I'm the one who dragged you down here. I need your blood to be spilt for me to rise. The girl is already bleeding. Unfortunately, in order for the sacrifice to work, she must be dead. Any time now._

"Stop it! You're lying!"

_Fine. She would have died, anyway-_

"No!" Percy yelled. He was more angry than he had ever been in his life. When he yelled, though, the ground shook and cracked. The blanket of cold was lifted off of him. Gaia had vanished.

And he had just caused a mini earthquake.

He knelt down next to Annabeth after a minute of shock. He checked her pulse. It was there, but very faint. She was barely breathing. He took out the ambrosia and tried to get her to swallow it. She coughed and her eyes opened.

"Percy?"

"I'm here," He replied.

She was about to say something else when she slipped into unconsiousness again. Her head hit the hard floor. He cursed and frantically looked around for something that could stop the bleeding on her arm.

"I can help her," A girl's voice came from behind Percy. He whipped around and saw no one.

"Well?" The voice said. "Follow me."

"Wait. Where are you?"

"Quickly, Perseus Jackson!"

"You know, it would help if I actually knew where you were!" Percy said.

"We haven't any time to lose. Come!"

"Where in Hades _are_ you?"

"Hurry, Perseus!"

Percy sighed. First of all, how did this girl know his name? The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Second, why was she so stubborn? Then he noticed a new tunnel.

"Are you coming or not?" The voice was definitely coming from the tunnel.

Percy picked up Annabeth and carried her. This tunnel was different from the others. In a bad way. Torches lined the walls, casting eerie shadows around the tunnel. Screams and growls echoed from all directions. He wondered if it was safe to have Annabeth in here.

"This way! Almost there," The voice called. Percy turned a corner. A large white door stood ajar right in front of him. Honestly, it looked pretty ironic in the dark and scary pit full of evil monsters. He walked in.

The room was cozy. It was lit by a small fire in a hearth. In front of the hearth was a comfy looking sofa. A small wooden table was sitting in the corner, with a matching chair next to it. A bed was tucked in the opposite corner. Percy wouldn't mind staying here. It had a comfortable aura to it.

"You are welcome in my home, Perseus Jackson." Where had he heard that before?

"It's just Percy." Percy grumbled. The voice chuckled.

"Very well, Just Percy. Do you want me to heal your girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah! I don't want her to die," Percy said.

"Then bring her here."

"Where?"

"Here!"

The voice came from the hearth. He walked over to the sofa and lay Annabeth down on it. He glanced at the hearth and noticed something he hadn't before.

Sitting in front of the fire and tending it with metal poker was a small girl in a brown dress.

**Sound familiar? If you know who this girl is, leave a comment! It should be easy if you've read The Last Olympian, which I'm guessing you all have. Argo ll chapter up next! What will happen to the other six demigods? Will they survive Jason and the Argonauts? Only one way to find out. I promise I'll try my best to have chapter four on time!**


	4. IIII

**Hi all! Sorry the chapter's late! I haven't had a lot of time lately. On the bright sid, it's a Percy chapter! Yay! It's a little bit shorter than the previous chapter, though. Just a heads up. Again, I'm really really sorry it's late! Anyway, happy Thanksgiving for those of you in the US! Make sure you eat lots of turkey! **

**-KOOK**

**Disclaimer: Still hasn't changed, and it never will. *Sigh***

**Percy**

_Percy Jackson, what were you_ _thinking?_ Was all he could think as they fell into never ending darkness for the second time in 24 hours. That was two times too many for him. He pulled Annabeth closer. He was mentally slapping himself in the face. He had jumped _off of a ledge _and taken Annabeth with him. Some boyfriend he was.

"Annabeth," He said softly.

When she didn't answer, Percy started to panic.

"Annabeth?" He asked, more urgently. Still nothing. Styx.

So there they were, two demigods falling through never-ending darkness (again), one still consious, the other not so much. Yippee.

Percy pulled out his sword and dropped it. He only waited less than a minute before it reappeared in his pocket as a pen. That meant that they were close to landing on another ledge or something. He guessed that it would take about thirty seconds to hit the ground.

Unfortunately, his guess was incorrect. Turns out, they were only about ten seconds from hitting the ground.

The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the rough floor. When he was able to sit up, he immediately yelled in pain. It felt as though there were flames running through the veins and artiries of his left arm. He looked at it and- oh gods. Was it supposed to do that? He grabbed some ambrosia and stuffed it into his mouth. It felt a little better, but it still hurt. He shoved the bag of the godly food back into his pocket. He didn't want to eat too much.

His eyes scanned his surroundings. There was no roof of course. He heard struggling. On the ground lay something he had prayed was destroyed. But as he knew, the gods were stubborn.

Directly across from him was Arachne's woven prison. It wriggled around as the Queen of Spiders tried to escape. He couldn't make out everything she said, but he knew he heard _Daughter of Athena_ more than once.

"Percy?" Annabeth's voice called out from the darkness. How could he have forgotten her?

"_Vlacas._" Percy had been calling himself an idiot for a while now.

At least she was awake. Thank the gods.

The trap stopped moving. "Is that you, daughter of Athena?" Arachne called.

Annabeth looked at Percy, her eyes full of fright.

"I thought she was-" She didn't finish.

_Dead. _Percy thought. He ran to her side. "Me, too. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm- ouch! Fine," She said, wincing as she moved her ankle. It was bent at a funny angle. It was a lot worse than earlier. Her eyes kept darting from his to Arachne.

"Uh... hang on. I have some ambrosia..." Percy said, digging around in his pocket.

"No, Percy. We need to ration the ambrosia. I'm fine, really. What happened to your arm?"

"That's not important. Your ankle-"

"Percy, it looks awful!"

"Have you seen your foot? It's-"

"It _is_ you! I will get my revenge, daughter of-" Arachne began.

"She has a name, you know!" Percy said instinctively.

Annabeth glanced warily at the trap. "Percy, the trap. The fall wore it out. She can escape." She said, her voice low.

Just as she said it, the Chinese Spider-cuffs burst open.

"You-" The spider turned to Annabeth after a shocked moment. "I will destroy you, child!"

"Percy," Annabeth whimpered.

"It's okay. I won't let her hurt you. I promise." He said, taking out his sword.

"Come, children! Serve me!" Arachne cried. About five unnaturally large spiders crawled out of the darkness. All of them were the size of wolves.

"Oh my gods," Annabeth breathed.

"Annabeth, relax."

"Look at them, Percy! They're huge!"

Percy looked into the eight eyes of one of the spiders. It snapped it's mandiblades as if to mock them.

"Get them." Arachne ordered. At once the spiders closed in on the two demigods.

"Percy!" Annabeth half-shouted.

"Annabeth," He muttered to her. "What did I just say?"

"You won't let them hurt me?"

"Exactly. I _promised _that I wouldn't."

She took a deep breath and positioned herself so that they were back to back. It was automatic by now. This had been their battle position since they were twelve.

"Let's do this." She said, trying to sound brave.

The first spider lunged at Annabeth and she turned away as she stabbed with her knife. The creature fell dead.

"Ew," Annabeth whimpered.

Then the other four spiders attacked at once. Percy wondered if any of them were poisonous.

For the next handful of minutes, the two of them stabbed and blocked, but the spiders just kept coming. Percy couldn't see Annabeth, but he knew that she was frightened. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell how she was doing. Occasionaly she would squeak in terror.

One of the bigger, hairier ones jumped at him. He deflected it with his blade, but not before the spider bit him on his bad arm. It didn't hurt at first; in fact, he didn't feel anything. But after a few minutes, his arm began to get tired, and he felt woozy.

Another spider attacked him, but all he could do was slowly raise his sword in defense. It wasn't enough, though. This spider bit him again, and he collapsed on the ground.

"Percy?" Annabeth turned to him, her eyes wide. "What-"

"Annabeth, look out!" He cried.

Arachne caught her off gaurd, swiping her aside with her hairy legs. Annabeth hit the wall with a thud.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted when she crumpled to the ground.

"Finish him," Arachne ordered the spiders. She scuttled over to Annabeth.

"No!" The spiders swarmed him. By now he knew for a fact that they were poisonous. He could barely move from the first bite. The poison had entered his bloodstream. He only hoped it wasn't deadly.

As he was losing consiousness, he could see Annabeth standing up and brandishing her knife. But she was so weak thet she collapsed on the spot. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Arachne sinking her mandiblades into Annabeth's arm.

* * *

When Percy woke up, he hurt all over, especially on his arm. But thankfully, he wasn't dead. The poison was probably similar to the Manticore's, meaning it wounded you, but it didn't kill you. It took a minute before reality came flooding back to him.

_I am in Tartarus. I need to close the Doors of Death. I will probably die. I am with my girlfriend. _He told himself.

Wait. Was he in Tartarus? Definitely. Did he need to close the doors? Well of course! Was he probably going to die? It seemed likely. Was he with his girlfriend? Ummm...

"Annabeth?" He called. No answer.

He turned his head and wished he hadn't. Arachne was gone, but he saw the limp figure of Annabeth about fifteen feet away from him. He got up with difficulty and walked over to her, stepping over dead spiders. Her arm had a large puncture wound from when Arachne bit her. It was bleeding badly. Percy wondered how long she had been like this.

A familiar cold wind surrounded him.

_You know that she's dead, yes? _Gaia's voice echoed through the chamber.

"No. Stop decieving me." Percy snapped.

_You saw what happened to her. Arachne's bite is poisonous, mind you._

"I don't believe you," Percy said through gritted teeth.

_Why? You know that there is no denying it, little pawn._

"I'm not your pawn."

The chamber shook, like the goddess was laughing.

_I see. Do you know why you are down here?_

"Because a certain spider tried to kill my girlfriend."

_Of course not. It is because _I _opened the pit. I'm the one who dragged you down here. I need your blood to be spilt. The girl is already bleeding. Unfortunately, in order for the sacrifice to work, she must be dead. Any time now._

"Stop it! You're lying!"

_Fine. She would have died, anyways-_

"No!" Percy yelled. He was more angry than he had ever been in his life. When he yelled, though, the ground shook and cracked. The blanket of cold was lifted off of him. Gaia had vanished.

And he had just caused a mini earthquake.

He knelt down next to Annabeth after a minute of shock. He checked her pulse. It was there, but very faint. She was barely breathing. He took out the ambrosia and tried to get her to swallow it. She coughed and her eyes opened.

"Percy?"

"I'm here," He replied.

She was about to say something else when she slipped into unconsiousness again. Her head hit the hard floor. He cursed and frantically looked around for something that could stop the bleeding on her arm.

"I can help her," A girl's voice came from behind Percy. He whipped around and saw no one.

"Well?" The voice said. "Follow me."

"Wait. Where are you?"

"Quickly, Perseus Jackson!"

"You know, it would help if I actually knew where you were!" Percy said.

"We haven't any time to lose. Come!"

"Where in Hades _are_ you?"

"Hurry, Perseus!"

Percy sighed. First of all, how did this girl know his name? The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Second, why was she so stubborn? Then he noticed a new tunnel.

"Are you coming or not?" The voice was definitely coming from the tunnel.

Percy picked up Annabeth and carried her. This tunnel was different from the others. In a bad way. Torches lined the walls, casting eerie shadows around the tunnel. Screams and growls echoed from all directions. He wondered if it was safe to have Annabeth in here.

"This way! Almost there," The voice called. Percy turned a corner. A large white door stood ajar right in front of him. Honestly, it looked pretty ironic in the dark and scary pit full of evil monsters. He walked in.

The room was cozy. It was lit by a small fire in a hearth. In front of the hearth was a comfy looking sofa. A small wooden table was sitting in the corner, with a matching chair next to it. A bed was tucked in the opposite corner. Percy wouldn't mind staying here.

"You are welcome in my home, Perseus Jackson." Where had he heard that before?

"It's just Percy." Percy grumbled. The voice chuckled.

"Very well, Just Percy. Do you want me to heal your girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah! I don't want her to die," Percy said.

"Then bring her here."

"Where?"

"Here!"

The voice came from the hearth. He walked over to the sofa and lay Annabeth down on it. He glanced at the hearth and noticed something he hadn't before.

Sitting in front of the fire and tending it with metal poker was a small girl in a brown dress.

**Sound familiar? If you know who this girl is, leave a comment! It should be easy if you've read The Last Olympian, which I'm guessing you all have. Argo ll chapter up next! What will happen to the other six demigods? Will they survive Jason and the Argonauts? Only one way to find out. I promise I'll try my best to have chapter five on time!**


	5. V

**Hi peoples! So if you read the author's note I posted, you know that there's been some chaos and sadness in my life. I tried to get on the website as much as I could and work on the chapter, but I was busy with homework, my friend, soccer, and the play that I'm in. **

**Anyway, I just thought: Do you think that our good friend Ricky may have laughed evilly when he finished The Mark of Athena (sorry, I'm kind of obsessive with the whole thing!)? Whatever, enjoy the chapter.**

**-KOOK**

**P.S. So I made some mistakes in the last few chapters, like with Annabeth's knife and Jason's _gladus_. Let's just pretend that Annabeth found her dagger in the beginning and Jason was fighting with a _gladus_ the whole time. Ok? Ok. :)**

**Hazel**

So Jason was shooting at the Argo ll? Like _the _Jason in all the myths? That was the shocker of the day for Hazel.

"Hazel!" Frank ran up to her. "Okay, quick version- I just flew to see who was attacking us and it looked just like our ship, minus Festus. When I got back Piper told me that she thinks it's _the _Argo. Like, the original!"

The original Argo?

"Well I guess that makes sense-" She began.

_BANG! _

She was cut off by a cannon blast and fell to her knees. She hopped up.

"I guess it makes sense since the Doors of Death are currently open," She said.

_BANG! BANG!_

"My baby!" Leo cried, looking at the new dent made on the side of the hull.

"Shut up and fight, Repair Boy," Piper scolded.

"Yes, ma'am!" Leo said like a child. He had been skittish of Piper since the _inccident_ earlier.

"Yeah I guess," Frank said to answer Hazel's question.

"I'll get Jason, okay? Let him know what's going on." She said.

"But they're firing on us. I think they do know what's going on."

"What? Oh, Frank, no!" Hazel said laughing, despite the situation. "I meant _our _Jason!"

"Oh. Right." Frank said, blushing.

"Okay, I'll be back. Watch Nico for me." Hazel kissed him on the cheek, making him blush even more.

_BANG! _

Hazel fell over again. She got up and raced to find Jason.

"Jason!" She yelled over the noise. "We know who the attackers are!"

Jason, who was creating a mini storm, looked at her quizzically. His ankle looked pretty bad. "What? Who?"

"Jason."

"What?"

"Jason!"

"What, Hazel? I'm right here! Who is attacking us?"

"Jason is attacking us! Like Jason and the-"

"What the heck, Hazel? In case you couldn't tell, I'm on _your_ side!"

"No! Jason and the Argonauts! From the myths!"

_BANG!_

More cannon fire. Hazel felt sick to her stomach. She hated being in the water.

"Ohhh..." Jason said, realization showing on his face.

She nodded.

"But how-" He asked, suddenly confused.

"The Doors of Death are open! You know that that means people just ressurect. Like when Leo and I found Echo and Narcissus."

Suddenly she heard rapid shouting in a different language that she didn't understand. But Jason must have, because his face paled.

"What did they say? Did you understand them?"

"Yes. It was in Greek-"

"You know Greek?"

"Yeah, from my time at Camp Half-Blood. Anyway, He basically said 'Show me your leader so I can kill him.'"

"He said that?" Hazel asked.

"Well not exactly. But that's mostly what he meant." Jason answered.

Another splurge in Greek, closer this time.

"Um, he says immediately."

"Well then you better go," Hazel told him.

"Why?"

"Aren't you the leader?" She asked.

"No, I don't think-"

"Jason, you're a child of the Big Three! Of course you're the leader!"

"You're a child of the Big Three, too! So is Nico, and Percy w-" He paused. "Percy is as well."

_Is._ He said is. Not _was_ or _originally_. _Is_. Hazel felt better after he said that. Maybe they _could _rescue their friends and close the doors.

"But as you may have noticed, none of _us _can make storms." Hazel pointed out, glancing at the small thunderstorm in the making. Jason looked too, as if he just remembered what he could do.

"But-"

Hazel glared at him.

"Fine," He said. "But I think I'll take Piper with me. She can charmspeak, ands he knows Greek a lot better than I do."

_Uh huh. _Hazel thought to herself. She knew that he really just wanted to keep an eye on his girlfriend, even if he didin't want to admit it.

"Okay. Just be careful. He _does _want to kill you, after all." She said.

"Thanks for reminding me," Jason grumbled. He limped off to get Piper.

As soon as he left Hazel had an idea.

She heard another cannon fire. Cannonballs were made of metal, right? So if she could just...

"Aha!" She said as a cannonball stopped about a foot in front of her face. Her hand was in front of her, palm forward, as though she were signaling for the cannonball to halt. She grinned.

With one flick of her hand, the cannonball went flying at top speed towards the enemy trireme. She heard shouts of surprise and a crash as the ball found its mark.

However, since the cannonball wasn't made of _precious _metals, it was harder to control and it took a lot more energy. Already Hazel's legs were shaking. She saw Jason and Piper cruising through the sky, Jason looking grim, and Piper looking terrified.

Hazel heard a splash. When she looked over the edge of the ship, there was a dolphin in the water.

"Really, Zhang? A dolphin? Can't you do like, a shark or something?" Leo called. Hazel could swear that Frank rolled his eyes. He morphed into a Great White and sped off towards the Greek ship.

"Better," Leo said.

Another bang as they let loose another cannonball. Hazel did her special metal thing.

Leo stared, wide eyed, at the metal ball suspended in mid air. "Now _that's _cool!"

"Get out of the way, Leo," Hazel said through gritted teeth. "I can't hold this for too long."

"Kay kay!" Leo answered in a strange voice. He backed away.

Hazel flicked her hand and the cannonball flew towards the Argo.

"Wait," Hazel said. "Where's Nico? I thought he was unconsious."

When they looked, the son of Hades had disappeared from his spot on the deck.

"Nico!" Hazel shouted.

"I'll go look for him." Leo said.

He disappeared below deck.

Hazel fended off cannonballs and nearly fell asleep multiple times for a solid five minutes. Suddenly the door burst open and Leo fell through the frame.

"You promised you wouldn't come back!" He yelled.

Nico followed him. "We promised not to harm you and the other six. We never said that we wouldn't posess this boy." He said. His eyes were gold.

"Eidolons!" Hazel yelled. "Nico! Snap out of it!"

Nico grabbed Leo by the hair.

"Uh... okay. This is... a little... painful!" Leo squeaked.

Nico threw a swearing Leo overboard.

"Leo!" Hazel screamed. "Nico! Stop this!"

"DIE!" There was a horrible thud. Nico fell to the deck, unconsious once again. Behind him, wild eyed and grinning like a maniac and holding an oversized baseball bat, was Coach Hedge.

There was another loud splash. Frank appeared on the deck in human form suppporting Leo. The son of Hephaestus was cursing and coughing at the same time. He was dripping wet.

"That- he- Eidolon- Gah!" He yelled, rubbing his temples.

Then Piper and Jason landed on the deck. Jason was smiling. Piper looked like she was going to throw up. Hazel was sure that she wasn't in much better shape.

"Well, they're leaving now!" Jason exclaimed.

Everyone cheered.

"Um," Piper interrupted. "Why is Nico lying on the ground with a bump on the back of his head? And why is Leo soaking wet?"

"It was awesome!" Coach Hedge yelled. "We-"

"Long story," Hazel said. "We'll explain at dinner."

**Leo: That wasn't very nice.**

**Me: Sorry.**

**Leo: 'Sorry' doesn't fix the fact that I _almost drowned! _**

**Me: Relax, Leo. You didn't even come close to drowning. Besides, I would never kill you!**

**Gaia: I would!**

**Leo: Yikes! FLAME ON! Peace! *Runs, on fire, like a maniac* **

**Me: I'm just gonna walk over here... Oh, yeah! All rights go to Rick Riordan!**

**Leo (Still on fire): Go Uncle Ricky!**

**Gaia: I will destroy you, little hero!**

**Leo: *SCREAM!***


	6. IV

**Nothing much to say, but just a head's up, t****his chapter will be kinda suckish. I think I had a little case of... the dreaded... _Writer's Block! _**

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**The Evil Ninja Pandas of Bad Writing have struck again!**

**So... I had trouble writing this chapter. Sorry it isn't as good! I tried!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Annabeth**

Annabeth opened her eyes. She propped herself on her elbow. A searing pain shot up her arm. She made the mistake of looking at it. There was a gaping puncture wound with blood leaking out of it. Around the wound was a faint green color. Poison. She suddenly felt dizzy. Spots swam in front of her eyes.

"Don't black out," She scolded herself. "It's a little bit of poison. Big deal. I've taken a poisoned _knife_ before." She said uneasily, not believing her own words.

Annabeth fought the pain and looked around. She was in a cave. Like the cyclops lair from when she was seven. She shuddered at the memory. Then she thought the important thing: _Am I dead?_

Well of course not. This was nothing like the Underworld. She had been there when she was twelve... with Percy...

Percy.

Was he okay? Was he alive? And _where in Hades _was he?

She voiced the last part out loud.

_By now he is most likely dead, _A sleepy woman's voice vibrated through the cave.

"Gaia," Annabeth growled. "Where. Is. Percy?"

_I told you, little hero. He is probably dead. After Arachne bit you, he was overrun by her sons and daughters. All poisonous, mind you._

"No," Annabeth refused to believe it. Gaia was always decieving her and her friends.

_Ah, but see, he assumed you for dead. He lost his willpower and gave in. Would you keep fighting if your boyfriend were to die before of your eyes? Of course, you would be more likely to give in. You are weak._

That caught Annabbeth's attention. Her? Weak? No way, Jose!

No. Her fatal flaw was taking over. She couldn't afford to become too proud, not now.

"Stop it! We'll beat you, Gaia! You don't stand a chance!"

_Such passion. But unfortunately for you, daughter of Athena, you have already lost. Surrender to me. I can give you the happily ever after you always wished for. That _is _what you want, yes? To build something permanent? You could be with that son of Poseidon for the rest of your life._

"I'll never join you, Dirt Face!" Annabeth shouted. Right now, she didn't really care how immature that nickname sounded.

She also realized something that Gaia had overlooked. Gaia was definitely lying, because if she weere to build something permanent, it would be with Percy. And wasn't he "dead"?

What an idiot.

_Very well. You have missed your last oppurtunity. From this point forward, you will feel the wrath of me and my husband. You are now in Tartarus alone. Percy Jackson is dead. Farewell, my pawn._

A sudden pain invaded the area of Annabeth's wound. It hurt so badly that she blacked out.

* * *

Annabeth snapped awake.

"Woah!" Came a voice. Percy's voice.

She was so happy to see his messy black hair, his green eyes. He looked a lot cleaner, too. No dirt anywhere. Annabeth realized that the same went for her.

"Percy!" She cried. She threw her arms around him and practically crushed him in a hug, ignoring the pain in her arm, which was wrapped tighly in a bandage.

"Can't... breath... Wise Girl..."

"Sorry," She said, smiling.

"Why do you sound like you're surprised to see me?"

"Um, I had this dream..." She explained everything.

"Nah, that's not how it happened. Well, the spiders _were _poisonous, but it was like the manticore. It just slowed my reflexes. They probably left once Arachne got you."

"She- she still isn't dead?"

Percy shook his head. He had a grim expression.

Annabeth sighed.

"Wait. Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?" She looked at her surroundings. They were in what seemed like a house, with a sofa, a hearth, a table, and a bed.

"Tartarus."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"More specific, Seaweed Brain."

"I don't actually know. But Hestia lives here."

"Hestia..."

Percy nodded.

"The goddess..."

Another nod.

"Lives in... _Tartarus?_"

"Well, no. At least I don't think so. But she took care of you."

"I see she is awake,"

For the first time, Annabeth noticed a small girl, around eight years old, tending the hearth.

"Lady Hestia?" She asked tentatively, though it sounded more like a statement.

The little girl smiled. A warm smile that made Annabeth feel cozy and comfortable. The pain in her arm subsided briefly.

"Yes, child. I am Hestia."

"But... why..." Annabeth trailed off.

"Are you wondering what I am doing in Tartarus?"

"Yes."

"Well," Hestia sighed. "I really shouldn't be here. In fact, when I get back, Zeus will be very angry. He does not know that I am here. My reason, though, is to help you."

"Help us?"

"Yes. And warn you."

"About what?'

The goddess smiled sadly. "I wish I could give you the details, I really do. But I have... _restrictions,_ I guess you could say."

"Can you at least give us a hint?" Percy asked hopefully.

Hestia sighed. "All I can say is, there is more to come. Much worse than Arachne or any other monster you've faced."

"Great," Percy grumbled.

"On another note, how are you feeling?" Hestia sked, paying no attention to Percy.

"A little dizzy, and my arm is sore," Annabeth admitted.

"That is understandable," Hestia said. "Arachne's poison is very powerful. You very well could have died if it weren't for your boyfriend. He hasn't left your side since he got here."

Annabeth looked at Percy. He glanced at the ground.

"How long was I out?" Annabeth said to no one in particular.

"Only a day. We still have time to get to the doors." Percy answered calmly.

"Only a day? _Only a day? _Percy, that's a lot of time, considering the standards! A day could be enough time for everyone to reach the Doors of Death!"

"She is correct. The other entrance is in Epirus, I believe." Hestia said. "They are almost there, only a few days away. I am sorry, but I can help you no longer. You must go."

Annabeth nodded. Percy pouted.

"I liked it here." He said.

Hestia smiled again, but sadly this time.

"I am sorry, but you really do need to go. If you leave right now, you may only have about a mile long head start on monsters. I wish you both luck. And remember what we talked about, Perseus Jackson."

Percy flinched at his full name. Or maybe it was something else...

Hestia waved her hand and she dissolved into nothing. Slowly, their surroundings also did.

All that was left was a small fire, burning brightly in the dark depths of Tartarus.

* * *

**So I've ended this chapter and the last Argo chapter without any cliffhangers. Just... Endings, let's call them.**

**What did Percy and Hestia talk about while Annabeth was unconsious?**

**What monster could _possibly_ be worse than Arachne?**

**Will Rick Riordan actually publish House of Hades early?**

**Will anyone give me cyber cookies?**

**The world may never know.**


	7. IIV

**Hello, and Merry Christmas! **

**I am so excited right now! I'm posting from my brand new laptop! Boo-Yeah (And I don't care that no one says that)!**

**Anyways, this cha[ter was fairly easy to write. It's one of my longer ones from... LEO'S POINT OF VIEW!**

**Enjoy!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Leo**

"So... the Eidolons have returned, they possessed me, threw Leo overboard, and are now _lurking inside of me?_" Nico asked at lunch, on the verge of a panic attack.

"Pretty much," Leo said.

"About," Agreed Hazel.

Nico slumped back in his chair with a sigh. "Great."

"Oh, but there's good news!" Piper exclaimed.

"Well? What is it?" Nico said, perking up again.

"I can get them out." The daughter of Aphrodite said, smiling proudly.

"Then do it!"

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Eidolon, come on out." She commanded, laying on the charmspeak.

Nico straightened. His eyes were no longer their usual dark brown, but a startling gold. Hazel squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of her brother like this.

"If it isn't the daughter of Aphrodite," Eidolon Nico said mockingly.

"Get out. Do not come back. Do not harm _anyone _who boards this ship. Do not harm a _single one of our friends, _Greek or Roman." Piper growled. Leo didn't know that charmspeak could sound menacing, but Piper made it work.

Nico staggered around a bit.

"Stupid girl! Do not try your charmspeak on us!"

"_Now." _Piper said with finality.

Nico began shaking. Like, violent, chattering shaking. He gasped.

Everyone shivered a little at the rush of cold air that blanketed the room. It was gone after a moment. The son of Hades collapsed on the spot.

Jason and Frank rushed over to him and carried him to the guest cabin.

"Well," Leo said, breaking the awkward silence. "I think the tacos are ready. Tofu as usual, Beauty Queen?"

"What do you think?" Piper grumbled. Apparently she was holding a grudge.

"Fine. Just checking Beauty Queen."

"_Leo," _She said warningly.

"Sorry, Beauty Queen!"

"Do. Not. Call. Me. Beauty Queen." Piper growled.

"Whatever you say Beauty Queen!"

"LEO!" Piper screamed. She got up from the table and started chasing him around with her fork. That girl could use anything as a weapon. Leo was glad that he was fast.

* * *

One black eye and a couple bruises later, Leo was serving tacos to everyone.

"Tofu for you Beau-" He didn't finish because of the murderous look Piper was giving him.

He cleared his throat. "Um... Red meat for Sparky, classic for Zhang, tofu for you as well, Miss Levesque, and... the aluminum... wrapper... for coach..." Leo trailed off.

"What is it, Leo?" Hazel asked.

"Look!" Frank pointed.

In the middle of the kitchen was a shimmering image of a girl about fifteen years old with spiky black hair, startling blue eyes, and a silver ring around her head.

"Thalia!" Jason cried.

"Hey, little bro." The daughter of Zeus smiled.

Jason pouted. "I'm sixteen! _You're _only _fifteen._"

"But _I'm _immortal." Thalia replied smugly.

"Touché."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, the hunters and I are here at camp-"

"Which one?" Leo asked.

"Camp Half-Blood, of course," Thalia said, wrinkling her nose at him. In the background, half-bloods wwere scrambling around yelling orders and grabbing armor. A couple Ares kids were sharpening their weapons and destroying dummies in the arena. The sons and daughters of Hecate were practticing their spells. "As I was saying, the camp's under attack! Well, not yet, but the Romans are headed this way! Peleus won't be able to hold them back for too long."

Leo cursed. "Um, can I speak with Nyssa? I have an idea that _might _stall them for a little bit."

Thalia nodded. "Nyssa! Yes, you! The daughter of Hephaestus! How many other Nyssas are at this camp?" She shouted.

In a few seconds, a muscular girl with dark skin and black hair tied back in a bandanna came into view.

"Hey, guys! Leo." She greeted.

"Feeling the love," Leo muttered. "Um, Nyssa. If you go to Bunker 9, there should be some blueprints for some automatons. How fast do you think you can build them?"

"I'll need some help from Jake and Elizabeth. And maybe Kyle. They're the fastest we have right now."

"Do whatever, but there's instructions on how to put them in defense mode. If you build them right, they won't stop attacking unless they're destroyed or until the owner calls them back. In this case, the owner would be whoever builds it. Meaning you, Jake, Lizzy, and Kyle."

"Cool, but we'll have to hurry. The Legion will be here in no time!"

"Then get out of here, girl!" Leo said. "Put Thalia back on!"

Nyssa nodded and ran off to find her half siblings.

"Hey again." Thalia said, stepping into view. "Where's Percy? I need to yell at him."

A silence settled over the room.

"Well?" Thalia said, growing impatient. "Where is he? And Annabeth."

More silence.

"Jason," She growled. "Where. Are. Percy. And Annabeth."

Leo flinched. The daughter of Zeus could be plenty scary when she was mad.

"They... uh... fellintoTartarus." Jason mumbled the last part at top speed.

"They what?" Thalia said, tilting her head to the side.

"Well," Leo said. "You see, Annabeth went on this quest for her mother alone following this Mark of Athena thing, outsmarted some ghosts, broke her ankle, met Arachne the spider woman, tricked Arachne the spider woman into weaving her own trap since she was so prideful (is that a word?), but then Arachne the spider woman managed to wrap a thread around Annabeth's bad ankle when the roof exploded, then Arachne the spider woman fell into Tartarus, but since the thread was attatched to Annabeth's ankle, Annabeth was pulled towards the pit. And Percy..." Leo couldn't continue.

"Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm and was also pulled over the ledge," Jason said.

"He managed to grab hold of something," Piper added.

"And Annabeth tried telling him to drop her into the pit," Frank chimed in.

"But... He wouldn't let go." Hazel finished, tears forming in her amber eyes.

Thalia was silent for a moment. "And where were all of you when this happened?" She asked, her voice unnaturally calm. That couldn't be good. Thalia Grace did _not_ do calm.

"Er... we were stablizing the Athena Parthenos." Jason said.

His sister's eyes widened. "Like, _the_ Athena Perthenos? The one that the Romans stole like, four thousand years ago?"

"Annabeth kind of found it... as part of the quest." Leo said.

Thalia nodded slowly. She opened her mouth to say something, probably scream at them, but before she could say anything a son of Nike (was it John?) ran up to her, panting.

"Romans... here... with weapons..." He said between gasps.

"Already?" Thalia said, clearly unprepared. "Alright, Jack. Go warn Nyssa and her siblings that they need to speed up the work."

Jack sighed and sprinted towards Bunker 9.

"I have to go, guys. I just have one thing to say. Find Percy and Annabeth. Make sure they stay alive. Please."

And with that, she wiped her hand through the Iris Message.

Leo turned on his heel and raced to the wheel of the ship. Jason followed.

"Dude, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Look, the Romans are invading camp. It's the first place that I've ever felt like I belonged, like I had a real _familia. _The people in the Hephaestus cabin welcomed me and treated me equally. If I lose camp... I have nothing."

"You have _us, _Leo. You're other family. We need to get to Greece."

Leo shook his head. "Percy and Annabeth would want this. If we _do _rescue them, they'll want something to come back to."

"So you're choosing some... some _summer__ camp _over Percy and Annabeth? That's rediculous! It's absurd! We need to get to the doors!" Jason spluttered. Sparks were literally erupting from his hair.

"That summer camp is my home, 's Percy's home. It's Annabeth's home. It's Piper's home. It's even _you're _home. Unless you're with the Romans now."

"I _am _Roman! My father is _Jupiter, _not Zeus!"

"So you think the Romans are going to win? You don't think that the _wimpy Graecus _stand a chance against the all-powerful Romans?"

Oh, man. Leo was _really _asking to be fried. It took guts to stand up to Jason.

"Honestly, yes! Have you _seen _the Legion?" Jason was shouting now.

"Actually, I have! It's huge, and mean, and full of a bunch of female dogs!"

"You did not-"

"I did."

"How could you-"

"Do you think I care? The _truth_ hurts!"

"Valdez..."

"Go ahead. Zap me. It'll show that you really are a true Roman. That you care nothing for Camp Half-Blood. Do whatever, but we are sailing to New York." Leo said, programming the GPS. Suddenly a _BZZZT _sound was heard. Leo turned to see Jason glowering at him. The chair next to him was black from being struck by lightning.

"New York." Leo said. Jason's face nearly matched his purple shirt. He turned and stalked off.

_Point one for Valdez. _Leo thought to himself as the ship turned to head to Long Island

* * *

**Ta-Da! OK, so Leo wasn't as funny as you may have hoped, and I apologize.**

**So who's mad at Jason right now? Anyone?**

**Who's saying, _Go, Leo! _right now?**

**ACTIVITY:**

**Do you think it was a good idea to go to Camp Half-Blood? Or should they have kept their course for Epirus? Leave a review stating what you think, and why. OPTIONAL!**


	8. IIIV

**Second chapter within twenty-four hours! Yeah! **

**I want to dedicate this chapter to Don't touch my Seaweeed Brain and Annabeth Chase the Wise Girl because they are always commenting on my stories and seem to like them! Thank you guys! And I give you cookies! **

**(::) (::)!**

** Thank you sooo much!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Percy**

Percy was sitting in front of Hestia's fire, trying to warm up. Tartarus was like, fifty below. He couldn't stop thinking of what Hestia had told him.

_Percy was eating a sandwich (which was delicious, since a goddess made it) and sipping at his blue Coke._

_Hestia got up from the hearth and sat across from him. She smiled sadly._

_"__Percy Jackson, your time is coming."_

_He turned to look at Hestia. "My time?"_

_"Yes, hero. Your time to make a choice. A choice that will result in death, whether it is one death or many."_

_"Promising." Percy goddess of wisdom told me last summer."_

_"You can blame your fatal flaw. You _do _know what it is, do you not?"_

_"I do know. A certain goddess of wisdom told me last summer."_

_"Yes, Athena enjoys pointing out flaws. It is part of her pride, thinking she is above others."_

_"I see." _

_"Yes. But this flaw of yours will be the end of another. Someone close to you. Or perhaps of multiple people, depending on this choice."_

_"So either way, someone will die because of me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"This is awful," Percy said miserably._

Percy shook the memory out of his head. It hurt to think about.

He noticed that Annabeth hadn't come back from searching for firewood yet. In all honesty, Percy didn't think she would find any, but she should still be back by now. Maybe he was just going into Paranoid Boyfriend Mode. Either way, he decided to go looking for her.

He traveled for a little while, occasionaly fighting off hellhounds or dracnae. Eventually he turned into a tunnel, and had to duck behind a boulder. There, not twenty feet in front of him, was a pack (or... herd?) of Earthborn. They were talking to someone. Percy tried to get a better glance.

"Well? Say something, girl! Where is the son of Poseidon?" One giant rumbled.

A chill went down Percy's spine.

"Why do you care?" Came a faint voice. It was Annabeth.

"Because the Earth Mother needs your blood!" One said simply.

"Of course, you must be dead for the sacrifice to work. That shouldn't be too hard." Said another.

"No. We cannot kill her. Not yet," The biggest one, probably the leader, said. "We haven't tried hard enough. We need information!"

"Okay, _daughter of Athena,_" The first one said. "Tell us what you know about the son of Poseidon."

"Wow," Annabeth said. "You're pretty stupid. You should know by now that I won't tell you."

When Percy crept up, he got a better look at Annabeth. She had numerous cuts and bruises. Her ankle looked pretty bad again, and she had a nasty cut from the bottom of her jaw to her neck. Two Earthborn were holding her arms and legs in a tight grip.

"STUPID?" The giant roared. "YOU DARE CALL ME STUPID? I'LL SHOW YOU..."

He grabbed Annabeth in one of his hands. She struggled but he started to squeeze her. She cried out.

"Awww, is the wittle daughter of Athena too weak to withstand my grip? I better let her go," He said. He dropped her to the ground. She yelled again.

Percy wanted to help her so badly, but he knew she wouldn't forgive him if he also got captured.

Another giant picked her up by the back of her collar. Percy could see that she was choking.

"Let's have some fun," He said. He tossed her to another giant who caught her by her bad ankle and dangled her above the ground. Annabeth crossed her arms to keep her shirt from falling. He dropped her as well. She had to put her arms out to avoid landing on her head, but unfortunately her wrist seemed to break. Percy heard the snap. Annabeth groaned. She was barely consious. Soon that giant picked her back up and tossed her to another, and so forth. One caught her in his meaty hand and held her up to his face. He grinned wickedly. An exhausted Annabeth spit on the giant. He roared in fury and threw her into the wall. She fell limply to the ground, and rubble and small rocks rained down on her.

That did it for Percy. He stepped out from his hiding place.

"Who called for a son of Poseidon?" He asked. The giants stared at him.

"Get him!" The leader commanded. At that, every single Earthborn charged at him.

They were hideous creatures. Earthen brown with jagged rocks sticking out of their backs. Their teeth were huge, crooked, and cracked. Worse, they wore only forest-green loincloths and smelled horrible.

Percy stabbed and slashed, jabbed and hacked. But he was hopelessly outnumbered. Fortunately, they really _were_ stupid. Powerful and strong, but stupid. Like the Minotaur, or Ares.

He managed to kill one, and injure several others. This scared them and they sank into the ground. Soon the only one left was the leader.

Percy was getting tired. He was gasping for air and could barely hold Riptide. The only thing that kept him fighting was Annabeth's lifeless form. With a battle cry, he charged.

This giant wasn't as dumb as the others. He sidestepped Percy and grabbed his arm, throwing the son of Poseidon fifteen yards.

Percy landed on the ground with a painful _THUD. _He groaned and got to his feet, shaking. The giant laughed.

"Come to save your girly-friend?' He taunted, taking a step towards Annabeth, who was unconsious.

"Don't touch her," Percy growled, pointing his sword and stepping between the two. The giant laughed again and swiped Percy aside and picked up Annabeth again. Her head fell forward.

"Annabeth," Percy murmered. He stood and faced the giant, whose back was turned to him. He charged and plunged Riptide into his gigantic rear end. The giant screamed in pain and dropped Annabeth again and she hit her head on a rock. He then turned to Percy.

"Son of Poseidon-" He didn't continue because a certain magical swordpen sunk into his stomach. And as he bent down to clutch the wound, Percy dug the blade into his heart. He screamed and dissolved into nothing. Percy kicked the dust around like he had seen Frank's soldier, Grey, do. This way, he would have trouble reforming. Percy ran to Annabeth and felt for a pulse. There was barely any. He tried top examine her wounds, and they were a lot worse than he thought.

A bloody gash crossed her forehead. It looked deep. Her wrist was slightly bent, not as bad as it had seemed earlier. Her ankle had been getting better thanks to Hestia, but it wasn't fully healed. Now it looked sprained. She had scrapes all over her arms and legs, and equal amounts of bruises. The cut from her jaw to her neck was gushing out blood.

Panicking, he ripped off a piece of his sleeve and pressed it against the cut to (hopefully) stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down. He picked her up bridal style and carried her in what he hoped was the direction he came from.

Thankfully, it was. There was a tiny flame where the fire was dying. Percy layed Annabeth on the ground with her head on his lap. He subconsiously began playing with her curly hair.

Suddenly Annabeth snapped awake. "Giants!"

"Settle down, Wise Girl. I took care of them." Percy said.

"Percy?" Annabeth said, sitting up. "Why does my head hurt so bad? And what- Agh!"

That last part was because she touched the wound on her neck. She removed her fingers, noticing the blood. "Percy, what happened?"

He filled her in on everything. Except for the talk with Hestia.

Annabeth sighed and closed her eyes and a tear traced her cheek. Percy quickly wiped it away.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll make it. Everything is fine."

"No, Percy. It really isn't fine. It- it's my fault we're down here in the first place. If I had just cut the string-"

"Annabeth, you know what?"

She looked at him with big grey eyes.

"You're right. It _is _your fault that we're both down here. If I had let you fall alone, I wouldn't be here right now."

"What?" Annabeth said, her eyes filled with pain.

"It's all your fault. I wouldn't be in _freaking Tartarus_ if I had just let go when you told me to. It's your fault." He repeated.

"Percy... how could you... I thought..." She looked away. Though he couldn't see her eyes, Percy saw the tears fall.

"It's your fault that I let go with you. And I wouldn't have it any other way. It's your fault, Annabeth Chase, that I would not let go, because I am so helplessly in love with you. Everything is because of you. And that's fine with me."

Annabeth turned to him, looking startled. "Gods, I... that's... Percy, I love you too. More than anything. And... I'm glad that you're here with me. I would be dead right now if it weren't for you. Thank you for caring so much."

"Your welcome, Wise Girl. It comes naturally."

Annabeth laughed and kissed him. Not a little peck, but a real, on-the-lips kiss.

It created a much happier atmosphere, and when they finally pulled away, they got right up and began walking again, hand in hand without knowing where in Hades they were going.

* * *

**A little sappy, I know. But I really needed to have a Percabeth moment. **

**Were you suprised at what Percy said? **

**What do you think will happen with Percy's 'choice'?**

**Only time will tell!**


	9. IIIIV

**Hi, all! I am super-ultra-extremely-completely sorry for the very late update. I have been sooo busy with projects, sports, homework, and my friend's grandfather dying. Also, I hate writing in Jason's perspective.**

**So, this chapter sucks. What else is there to say?**

**-KOOK**

**Disclaimer (For those of you who feel that they are necessary): I do not own Percy Jackson because I am not worthy of Rick Riordan's writing super-powers.**

* * *

**Jason**

Obviously, Jason was fuming. He couldn't believe that Leo was choosing Camp Half-Blood over their friends!

_He was supposed to listen to _me_, _Jason thought. _I'm_ _the leader! Not him!_

He slammed his cabin door shut. He could hear muffled voices outside. He walked to the door and placed his head against it.

"... girlfriend, Leo! He'll think I'm picking sides!"

"I can't talk to him! He'll fry me!"

"Yes, but _you're _the one who made him angry in the first place! You need to apologize!"

"Me? _I _need to apologize? Did you hear what he said, Piper? H_e_ told me that the Romans would win! He called Camp Half-Blood a _summer camp!_"

Silence.

"I see," Piper said, her voice tight.

_What did you do, Jason? __Now_ _y__our best friend _and_ your girlfriend are mad at you! _He thought. But then he reconsidered that. The other part of him said, _It isn't my fault! I'm not the one who chose a camp over my friends! Percy and Annabeth could die because of Leo!_

Jason listened to the second voice.

"Well, I guess I'll go tell him-" Piper didn't finish because Jason burst through the door.

"Tell me what? That I was wrong? And Leo was right? Because I think the complete opposite!" He spat.

Piper stared at him in shock with wide eyes. "Jason, I-"

"No. If you think that Leo's right, so be it! I know that this is practically killing Percy and Annabeth, but I understand how important your camp is to you."

"Jason, were you paying attention to Nico?" Leo asked. "Percy is the strongest demigod that he had ever met and-"

"Yes, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, prophecy child, defeater of the Titan Lord, savior of Olympus. The strongest demigod alive!"

When Jason said this, the sea began to roughen up. The waves grew stronger.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you_._" Leo warned. "Poseidon can hear you."

"Jason, you're being proud." Piper said.

"Yeah, one minute you're trying to save Percy, the next you're insulting him." The son of Hephaestus added.

Piper elbowed Leo.

"Insulting him? Oh, no, I'm just pointing out his title!" Jason said.

"Jason! Stop it!" Piper snapped.

Jason nearly obeyed, but he was on a roll. He wouldn't listen to her charmspeak.

"No, I won't stop. I have every right to be upset right now. You're listening to Leo when you should be listening to _me! I'm _the leader now that Percy's gone!"

"We never had a leader," Leo pointed out.

"I guess it makes sense to have one, though," Piper said. "But that's not what this is about! Leo, do you have something to say?"

"No."

"Leo!"

"Yeah?"

"_Do you want to_ _say something_?" Piper asked, clearly hinting him.

"Not really."

Piper sighed, rolling her eyes and muttering something inaudible under her breath.

"Leo would like to apologize," She said.

"No, I wouldn't! _Jason _should apologize to_ me!"_

"Stop it! Leo, apologize to Jason!" She said, adding charmspeak.

"Sorry, Jason," Leo said in a dazed voice. Then he snapped out of it. "Hey! No fair!"

"Will you two stop fighting? We need a plan!" Jason said, aggrivated with them.

"Me and Piper should stop fighting?" Leo said, obviously shocked.

"Piper and _I_" She corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, you're the one fighting with us!"

"No, I'm not!"

Seriously? Because last I knew..."

The three of them began arguing at once, all in different languages. Piper in Greek, Leo in Spanish, and Jason in Roman.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. They all stopped to see Hazel staring at them."What happened?" She asked.

"Well, you see-" Piper began.

"We are fighting." Leo said simply.

"Well, stop! I heard a ruckus and came down to see what was wrong! You can imagine my surprise when I saw you all yelling in different languages!"

Jason couldn't help but smile inside at Hazel's old lingo. Ruckus? But that didn't make him feel any better.

"Jason, please don't be like this," Hazel pleaded.

Oh, great. Now everyone's picking sides. Jason turned and stormed into his cabin. He fell onto his bed, exhausted. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

* * *

He was on a battle field, right outside Camp Jupiter. All around him, people were fighting.

Amongst the mix of demigods he noticed some of his Roman and Greek friends, all fighting each other.

Dakota and Leo were fighting, fire against sword. Piper and Gwen were battling it out, too. He saw Frank and Hazel fighting against Bobby and Christina, another child of Mars, and also one of Jason's friends. Nico was just summoning skeleton warriors to destroy the enemy.

The Romans were falling apart at the seams. Leo scorched Dakota, who fell to the ground, clearly dead due to his burns. Piper stabbed Gwen in the gut with Katropis, causing the Roman to cough up blood and crumple. Frank transformed into a Tiger and pounced on Christina. Jason heard the horrible sound of armor being ripped to shreds. Hazel sliced off Bobby's arm with her _spatha _and he fainted right away because of the amount of blood he had lost so quickly and his tiredness.

But the worst part was that Jason saw himself... fighting Reyna.

The daughter of Bellona was clearly tired. She had cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs.

Jason came down hard with his _gladus _but Reyna blocked with her dagger.

"Jason, please," She begged. "You're a Roman! Not a Greek! Look around you. Bobby, Dakota, Gwen, Christina! Dead! Your _friends _have killed our people! Even Octavian is dead! You hate him, but he's family. Jason, you're fighting against your own people."

He faltered for a minute, but shook it off. "Sorry, Reyna. But I have a new family now."

Her eyes widened.

"No!" She cried, before Jason had the final blow. He had killed her.

"Reyna!" Present-day Jason shouted.

The Greeks pushed the Romans back. While they were busy fighting, some demigods snuck into Camp Jupiter with jars of green liquid. Greek Fire.

Before he knew it, his home was engulfed in a flaming green inferno. The Senate house burned to the ground. The Temple of Bellona crumbled away to nothing. The field of Mars became a wasteland. Overall, nothing was left of Camp Jupiter.

"No," Real Jason breathed.

_Ah, but see, little hero. This is destined to happen. Your friends will destroy your home. _It was Queen Dirt Face herself.

"Stop it, Gaia. You're not serious. You're decieving me."

_Oh, I wish I was, Jason Grace. But the Greeks will obliterate your beloved Camp Jupiter. The ones who call you their friends will destroy your family. Your real family. _

"I don't believe you!"

_As I expected. But know this... if you stay with these Greeks, the scene that I have showed you will happen and you will be destroying your own people. However, if you help me, I will make sure that your friends are out of Tartarus and nobody you love dies. Everything will go back to the way it was once I win._

Her voice was sweet, like a calming lullaby. It was kind of like Piper's charmspeak but more... effective. Jason couldn't help but want to listen.

He quickly jarred himself out of his daze.

"Do the words _I won't join your army _mean anything to you?" He asked.

_Think, little hero. Reyna will die, all because of you. And if you think the Romans will forget the Greeks destroying their family, you would be ever so wrong. I can foresee what will come. Your Greek friends will be killed as well. Your sister, your best friend, your girlfriend. All dead._

"Shut up!" Jason cried.

_My time is nearly up, little hero. Soon you will arrive at the puny Greek camp. That is okay for now, but if you are wise, you will hear this: Fly to Camp Jupiter. This way, you will be able to warn the Romans of the trouble to come. You can prevent all of what I showed you. Or you could keep the course for Epirus, Greece. Save your precious friends from Tartarus. However, this will give the Romans enough time to formulate a plan to wipe out the Greeks. Fly the ship tio Camp Jupiter._

* * *

"Jason!" He heard a voice calling his name. "Jason Grace!"

"What?" He asked groggily.

He saw Frank Zhang standing in front of him. "We're here."

* * *

**As I said, I know this chapter sucks. I had a lot of trouble writing about Jason. I guess I don't know enough about him. **

**Please review! And check out my newest story, And Then... because I really want the idea that I had to work!**


	10. X

**Hello! I managed to finish this chapter with an amazing scientific discovery: It is extremely hard to type with a broken finger! Shocking, right?**

**Yeah. So you can blame:**

**1) A broken finger**

**2) No power for five days**

**3) My laptop dying **

**4) Having no charger for my laptop**

**5) Homework**

**6) My (sort of) laziness**

**So this chapter is extremely sloppy because I was trying to get it done quickly so that you wouldn't think that I died a painful demigod death :)**

**One more thing, I was viewing the traffic stats for my story, and I have the most views on the first chapter. I know it was pretty bad, and I think it's scaring people away. So I might just replace it with a new chapter.**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Annabeth**

After walking for what seemed like hours, they came across a huge set of doors.

They were gigantic, bronze double-doors. Each door had detailed carvings of swirls and vines. They were gorgeous, glowing with power. Could it really be...? The Doors of Death? But something didn't... connect. The Doors of _Death_ definitely shouldn't be this breath-taking, should they?

"Is that really them?" Percy asked, stunned.

"I don't know. I mean, it all seemed a little too easy, don't you think?"

"I like easy."

"Quit joking, Seaweed Brain. Seriously, what do you think of this?"

"I do see where you're coming from. It's probably a trap."

"Gee, you think so?"

"Hey. Don't give me an attitude."

They just stared at the doors for about five minutes straight.

"Should we go in? Just see what it's about?" Percy asked, still in awe.

"Maybe. But... How do they open?"

As if it had a cue, one huge door swung open. Annabeth then gasped at what she saw.

"This isn't the Doors of Death..." Percy said.

A forge. Filled with telkhines and dracanae, hellhounds and cyclopes. They were all working on some big object, though it was hard to tell what it was.

On a raised platform stood a handsome man in his... early thirties, Annabeth would guess. He looked like an actor. He had a goatee, and his dark hair was slicked back and unnaturally shiny. He wore all black; jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket, sneakers, everything. Even more black clothing than Nico, which was saying something.

"Welcome, demigods!" He boomed.

"Who is this guy?" Percy muttered.

"I'm not positive," Annabeth replied. "But I have an idea..."

"How are you today?" The mysterious man greeted. He smiled, showing teeth whiter than Apollo's.

"Great, considering we're in _Tartarus," _Percy stated. "A Hell-hole crawling with blood-thirsty monsters who are desperately seeking revenge on us." He finished sarcastically.

"No need to say the word Tartarus like it's a sin." The man said.

"But it is... Ow!" Percy was interrupted by Annabeth, who stomped on his toes.

"You're Tartarus, aren't you?" She guessed.

"That is correct, young lady! I am the one, the only, Tartarus! I is the spirit of this... _Hell-hole... _as you said. Is that what kids call cool places now adays? Hell-holes? Whatever! I am the spirit of this abyss. Not to mention talented, smart, good-looking, stunningly handsome, extremely attractive, ultimately flattering, absolutely charming, positively perfect..."

Annabeth realized that he was extremely full of himself. He kept rambling on about how 'gorgeous' he was.

"And I happen to be a chick-magnet..." He was saying.

"Okay!" Annabeth interjected. She cleared her throat. "Er... Tartarus. What... exactly... are you doing in a forge?"

"Why Tartarus is overseeing the building process of this beautiful... Hey, you! Careful with that! One wrong move and you'll blow us all to smitherines! Tartarus can't have his beautiful face rearranged, can he?" He shouted to a telkhine carrying a missle-looking thing. Annabeth heard Percy gulp. Tartarus continued. "As I was saying, he is overseeing the building process of this beautiful... wait a minute. Are you demigods from that camp? The one for goody-goodies? Though I has to admit, there were some pretty bad people there. That Luke kid, the one that hosted my main client, Kronos, he was pretty evil! And that daughter of Aphrodite, what was her name? Sammy, Simone... something like that. But she was brilliant! She kept that whole spy secret for so long..."

"Enough!" Annabeth couldn't take this guy. She had tried to keep a clear head, tried to get information, but he was getting on her last nerves, especially with all this 'I'm so amazing and I call good people evil' talk.

Tartarus looked at Percy, confused. "Did I say something?"

"Yes," Annabeth growled. "First of all, that _daughter of Aphrodite _is named _Silena. _Not Sammy or Simone. And for your information, she wanted to stop spying! She died a hero. She charged a Lydian Drakon! That sounds pretty heroic to me! And Luke..." Her voice faltered, but she quickly regained composure. "The same goes for Luke. Sure he was evil, yeah he hosted Kronos, and he led the enemy army in the Titan War, but in the end, he died saving us all. Does that sound evil to you? You're wrong. None of them were evil at heart, you judgemental hellhound!"

Tartarus considered this, then realization dawned on him that he had probably just been insulted.

"Watch your tone, young lady! No one insults me! I am mighty and all-powerful! I can destroy you!"

At this, everyone in the forge stopped what they were doing to watch the argument.

"Annabeth..." Percy murmered.

"Shut up, Percy. I'm not backing down." She faced Tartarus. "_I_ insult you, and I don't even care! You deserve to be insulted, you hideous..."

"_HIDEOUS?!" _Tartarus growled.

All the monsters in the forge with the the ability to speak either went, 'Ooooooooooh...' or began muttering to one another nervously.

"Now you've done it, girlie." One of the bigger telkhines warned.

Tartarus's eyes blazed. "No one calls me _hideous!" _

"Annabeth!" Percy said, more urgently.

"Shut up, Percy!"

"Hey!"

Annabeth spoke again. "I just did call you hideous, and I wasn't even finished! I was going to say that you were also untalented and stupid!"

"Shut up!" Tartarus wailed. His eyes burned with hate.

"Get ready to jump out of the way, Percy. He's going to try and blast us, I think." Annabeth whispered. Percy nodded.

"You insolent little demigods! You die today!" Tartarus shouted. In a swift motion, a stream of silver light shot towards the two demigods, who quickly jumped in seperate directions.

"Percy! Get to the project!" Annabeth called.

Percy stubbornly shook his head. "Tartarus is after _you! _You're the one who insulted him! I'll hold him off!"

"No! If you're going to fight, so am I!"

"Annabeth, come on! Your ankle is sprained again, your head is probably killing you, and you look exhausted!"

It was true. But Annabeth didn't want Percy dying for something that _she _caused.

"We'll fight together, then!"

They had positioned themselves so that they were back to back.

"You're crazy," Percy observed.

"No, I'm stubborn. Just like you."

"Ouch."

"Come on, I can do this!"

"I am _not _letting you fight right now!"

"Too bad, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth called as she made an attempt to slash Tartarus with her dagger. He easily blocked it with a pitch black sword that matched his outfit. It seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

As Annabeth was locked in combat with the spirit of the abyss, she noticed Percy had left his position behind her and was sneaking up on Tartarus from the back.

"You will not win, girl! Tartarus will crush you!" He shouted as he pressed Annabeth backwards. "Give up!"

"Not happening!"

"Die!" He shouted. For a moment, Annabeth had the strangest image of Tartarus at a height of five feet, with hooves and horns and a huge baseball bat. It was pretty horrfiying.

She began using a lot of her strength to push him back. He was doing the same, gathering potential energy. She then jumped out of the way, and this caused Tartarus to stumble forwards from his kinetic energy.

"Now, Percy!" Annabeth called.

He shoved Tartarus frontwards, and as he was distracted the two of them ran to the enterance from which they came. Unfortunately, the monsters had recovered from their stupor and decided to charge the demigods from all directions. They were closing in fast. The half-bloods ran.

"We're not going to make it, Percy!" Annabeth cried. She was getting dizzy and black spots swam in front of her eyes.

"Just hang in there!" Percy answered. "We're almost at the entrance."

The monsters were right on their tail.

"I can't," She moaned.

"Come on!" Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her. They were so close to the door... just a few more yards...

The monsters began blocking the exit. Soon, they were surrounded. Tartarus swaggered through an opening like he was all that and a Coca Cola.

"I told you that you wouldn't win," He said, smiling viciously.

* * *

**Sorry! But I assure you, everything will be fine.**

**Annabeth: Why am I so OOC?**

**Me: 'Cause I'm the writer!**

**Annabeth: No, Rick Riordan is.**

**Me: Okay, things just got personal. *Charges***

**~Sounds of pain and struggle are heard~**

**Annabeth: Hi, everyone! She's not dead, she's just... well... ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN!**

**Me: *Whimpers***


	11. IX

**Hellooooo! I think this is my longest chapter! Woo-hoo!**

**But on another note, someone left a guest review on my story. They said:**

_**'oh my god this story sucks so bad I could rite better then this in my sleep this is literly the worst story i ever read on fanfiction i hope u **__**never **__**make another chaptar on this ever agan in ur hole life this is an insalt to all humenty go dye in a hole this sucks'**_

**They were called 'gest', which I assume was supposed to be 'guest'. **

**Well, _gest. _I'd like to _see _you write something like this in your sleep! You can't even spell! Get a dictionary and look up _rite, literly, chaptar, hole, insalt, humenty, and dye._ And _gest. _Some of them are real words, but most of them aren't! The ones that are, you used them the wrong way! So how about this: create a FanFiction account, and write another version of The House of Hades. I'd like to see how much better it is than mine.**

**Thanks, doll!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Frank**

Frank didn't know what to expect when he saw the camp. A run-down summer camp with rotting wood cabins? A wealthy camp with mansions and jacuzzis?

He didn't see either of those when he looked into the valley below. He saw a strawberry field, an old blue house, and a bunch of smaller houses arranged in the shape of two huge Greek omegas. The cabins. Frank could have spent all day describing each unique cabin.

There was a basketball court, fighting arena, archery range, amphitheater, and even a rock climbing wall with lava spewing out the top! In the distance was a tall mountain. He thought he may have seen a small flicker of light on the side of the mountain, like torch light. Atop a hill was a simple pine tree with - a _dragon? _- curled around the stump, breathing fire at some kids.

Frank wondered why he was breathing fire. He must have voiced it out loud though.

"That's why," Piper said, pointing.

The whole camp was a mob scene. Kids were all battling each other. Half of the kids wore gold armor, and the other half wore bronze. Oh, gods. The Legion was attacking Camp Half-Blood!

Even from this high up, he could see and hear swords clashing and shouts and cries of pain. He recognized many kids from the Legion; Dakota, Gwen, Christina, Octavian, and Reyna. He couldn't bare watching so many people being killed. This needed to stop.

"Jason!" He called. "Jason, come here!"

The son of Jupiter burst onto the deck. His eyes widened when he saw the huge war in front of him.

"Oh, man," He breathed.

"Well, do something!" Piper cried. "They're destroying the place!"

Suddenly Leo, Hazel, and Nico burst onto the deck.

"What the- oh my gods," Leo said, his face falling. "That is _not _good."

Hazel had her hands covering her mouth and a look of pure horror on her face. "What do we do now?"

"I have an idea," Jason said. Thunder clapped. The sky darkened above the valley. Still, the demigods kept fighting. The wind picked up. Lightning cracked and fizzled. No reaction. Finally, Jason growled in frustration. He summoned a bolt and it hit the ground, inches away from Octavian, who was leading the army.

"Would've been better if he actually hit him," Leo muttered, but only Frank heard it, and he couldn't help but smile.

The auror screeched like a little girl. The girl who was leading the Greeks - Frank thought it might be Clarisse, from what Piper told him - began to surge forward. But Jason zapped the ground directly in front of her.

"THALIA!" She screamed. "KNOCK IT OFF!"

"I didn't do anything!" Thalia defended.

"It was me!" Jason shouted down. "Listen up! You need to hear us out!"

Gasps and murmurs were heard. The ship landed.

"Kill him! He betrayed us!" Octavion cried.

"Octavian, silence." Reyna snapped. "What is it Jason?"

Frank noticed something in her voice. It seemed to be a mix of emotions. Happiness, sadness, betrayal, and... hope?

"Leo," Jason motioned for the said person to come forward.

Leo cleared his throat. "Uh... Hey, guys," He said awkwardly. "Er... I want to... apologize for the whole Camp Jupiter fiasco. It wasn't meant to happen that way. There were eidolons on the ship; they kind of... possesed me and made me do all of that."

"And why should we believe that?" A voice rang out.

"I don't expect you to believe it," Leo admitted. "But if you're not going to, please don't take it out on our camp. They can't take the blame and die for something that wasn't even their fault."

"Nonsense!" Octavian shrieked. "You put our lives in danger!"

"And this is how you get revenge? By doing the same thing?" Frank piped up.

"Yeah! By putting _other _people's lives in danger, you're no better!" Hazel agreed.

"I thought Romans always did the noble thing! Killing others for revenge is cowardly and low!" Piper put in.

"Come on, guys!" Jason spoke up. "We need to focus on the greater threat; Gaia! We need to cooperate in order to defeat her, but instead you're fighting your allies!"

Out of nowhere, a clang was heard. Everyone looked towards the back of the crowd. A kid had dropped his sword.

"They're right, everyone. Fighting our allies won't get us anywhere. It's not logical! Annabeth and Percy wouldn't want this. Right?"

Another Greek did the same. "You're right, Malcolm."

Another clang. Gwen dropped her dagger. "He _does_ has a point," She said, shrugging at the Romans looking at her in disbelief.

Dakota followed her, releasing his _gladius_. Then came Thalia with her bow, Clarisse (reluctantly, but she probably wanted to do the right thing) with her spear, and soon, everyone was weaponless. Everyone except for Octavian and Reyna.

"Well?" Nico asked. "Are you with us, or not?"

"I... Uh..." Octavian stuttered.

"I... I am," Reyna said. She let her dagger fall. "But... Where _are _Percy and Annabeth?"

"Um... We're getting to that." Nico said.

Everyone looked at Octavian expectantly.

"The Greeks tried to kill us! Come on! My augeries have proven that..." He paused for a moment. "That the Greeks will... betray us! And I..."

"Murdering Pillow Pets doesn't prove a thing!" Bobby cried. Laughter rippled through the camp.

"Respect the prophecies! They are not something to be looked down upon!"

Clarisse came forward. "Look, punk. I don't want to hurt you. Well, yeah I do, I want to just... well, that's not important really. But as much as I hate backing down from a fight, it's for the good of... I guess the world, right?" She asked, turning to face the armies. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Yes, Octavian. Please release your weapon. You cannot be fighting with the Greeks." Reyna told him.

"_And_," Leo chimed, "You won't have even to _worry _about us trying to hurt you! We... actually _Annabeth_ has obtained..." He paused for effect. "The Athena Parthenos!"

The children who looked like Annabeth, so most likely the Athena cabin, began chattering excitedly. Malcolm calmed them down after getting out of his shock.

"That... that's amazing! So many children of Athena had been on that quest, but they never came back! Annabeth... she really is outstanding." He said.

"So see..." Leo's voice trailed off. Octavian was nowhere to be found.

"He must have fled during the confusion and excitement!" Reyna cried.

"Coward," Clarisse snarled.

"We have other news, though. This... isn't as exciting." Piper said. "It's about Percy and Annabeth. I'm assuming Thalia hasn't told you yet, seeing as how a battle broke out."

Everyone began talking at once. Jason summoned another lightning bolt. Everyone shut up.

"They fell... into Tartarus." Frank said. At this, the camp went berserk. Everyone began screaming and yelling and sobbing.

Suddenly a huge horse came into the crowd. Wait, not a horse. He was a man from the waist up...

"Centaur!" Frank shouted. All Romans drew their weapons. They knew that centaurs were barbaric.

"No!" Frank yelled. "He's not evil!" But his voice was drowned out in the Greeks shouting and forming a wall in front of the centaur.

"STOP!" Nico screamed. Everyone obeyed, a little taken aback. "This is Chiron, he's our mentor! He's not like what you guys are used to!"

"Thank you, Nico. Can I have a word with the six of you in the recreation room? Everyone else, why don't you show the Romans around camp?"

Everyone muttered agreement and went off in their own directions. The people that Chiron wanted to speak to followed him.

When they were inside, they all sat down at a ping pong table.

"Now," The old centaur began. "Tell me all that happened, starting from when you arrived at the Roman camp."

They did. The horse looked even older than before once they were finished. "I see. You must leave tomorrow morning to find the Doors of Death and rescue Percy and Annabeth. Go visit Rachel. She will give you a prophecy."

"Thank you, Chiron." Nico said. They left the centaur alone to think.

They headed toward the mountain. The trek would probably take a while, so Piper had and idea.

"Jason, you can fly up to the Cave, right?"

He nodded.

"Okay," Piper continued. "You can take me up with you then. Hazel and Leo can take Arion, and Frank can turn into, like, an eagle or something and take Nico up."

Everyone agreed, but Frank would rather take Hazel instead of having her ride with Leo. But he transformed into the eagle and snatched Nico into the air.

Once they reached the 'Cave', as Piper called it, they walked in.

Frank expected it to be dark, humid, and dank. Instead, there was a plasma screen TV, at least eighty inches. There was an extremely comfy-looking sofa, a giant hot tub, and just about every gaming system you could imagine. On the sofa was a girl with poofy red hair and green eyes. She wore a t-shirt with... - van Gough? - on it. Her jeans had all sorts of holes and drawings on it. She also wore bunny slippers.

"Um, Rachel?" Piper called. The girl looked up from her book and smiled.

"Hey, guys! I am _so _sorry about Percy and Annabeth!" As she said the last part, her face fell a little.

"How did you know already?" Hazel asked.

"I'm... kind of the oracle," Rachel said. "I know this stuff."

"Oh."

"Rachel, we need a prophecy." Piper said.

"Oh, thank the gods! I've been holding one in for a while! I just had this feeling that I should wait."

Right after she said that, her eyes were still green, but brighter and glowing. Her mouth opened and green mist spilled out. Then she spoke -

_"Son of the Silent One __shall aid the quest_

_And lead the deigods to the Doors of Death;_

_Sea and Wisdom underground_

_Child of War, burn the shroud;_

_One half-blood shall take a stand_

_And make a sacrifice when the time is at hand"_

Rachel collapsed, and Jason and Nico ran over to help her up.

"What did I say?" She asked, looking at all of the demigods' paled faces. They repeated it to her.

"Oh," She said, her voice small. "Well do you know what it means?"

"_Son of the Silent One shall aid the quest,_" Nico recited. "My father, Hades, is sometimes called the Silent One. I'm his son, and I'm aiding you guys on the quest, and leading you to the Doors."

"_Sea and Widom underground,_" Piper said. "Percy and Annabeth. In Tartarus. Underground."

"_Child of War, burn the shroud," _Hazel repeated, looking at Frank. "I guess... a child of Mars or Ares will die."

"Great," Frank muttered.

"Hey, you never know! It could be someone else! There's lots of children of the war god!" Leo said, trying to sound optimistic.

"_One half-blood shall take a stand, and make a sacrifice when the time is at hand," _Jason said. "What does that mean?"

Everyone shrugged.

"And you might all be wrong," Rachel pointed out. "Prophecies always have double meanings!"

The demigods muttered in agreement.

"Well, thank you for your time, Rachel." Piper said.

"Wait!" Leo said. "Before we go, should we try IM-ing Percy and Annabeth?"

"It's worth a shot," Fank said.

They went to Rachel's hot tub and turned it on, waiting for steam to rise. It would be close enough to mist for at least _some _connection, just bad quality.

Nico fished a drachma out of his jacket pocket once Frank was back with a light to make the rainbow. He was about to toss the coin in when Hazel stopped him.

"Iris won't answer, remember? The gods aren't communicating with us. We have to ask Fleecy!"

"Who?" Nico asked.

"Can I have the drachma?" Hazel asked. Her brother handed it over.

Hazel tossed it into the newly formed rainbow and said, "Oh Fleecy, do us a solid. Show Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

Nothing happened. After many more tried, they realized it was hopeless. But Rachel had an idea.

"You guys should visit the Iris cabin! Butch is in the infirmary, but I'm sure Ellie would love to help! Careful though, they could talk all day in there."

"Oh yeah!" Piper said. "Thanks so much, Rachel!"

"Any time! Good luck on the quest!" Rachel called as the demigods raced out of the cave. They got down the mountain the same way they went up.

The Iris cabin was beautiful. It was pearly white, and colors danced around, reflecting off the walls. It seemed as though the whole cabin was capturing and bending the sunlight.

When they entered, Frank was surprised. The whole place was like a communication center! All of the beds were crammed on the far wall, mesy and unmade. Everywhere, people were working on computers, talking on Bluetooths, and talking on cell phones.

"I thought half-bloods couldn't use technology?" Frank said quizzically.

"Under normal circumstances, that would be the case," Piper informed him. "But since Iris is the goddess of communication, Chiron made an exception."

A girl with frizzy platinum blonde hair streaked with neon colors bounded towards them.

"Hello!" She said cheerfully. She had an Australian accent. "Beautiful day out hmm? Boy, that battle was crazy! But all the kids of Arcus are so nice! Hey, why don't you guys buy a Bluetooth? They're half off! Oh, are you hungry? We have soome food! I don't really get how..."

Frank guessed that this girl could ramble on all day, but Piper stopped her. "Um, hi Ellie. Could we ask a favor?"

"Shoot." Ellie told her.

"We need to IM Percy and Annabeth. It wasn't working earlier."

"Pfft. Are you kidding? Of course I can help! Hello, goddesss of communication?" Ellie said, smiling widely.

"Thank you. Nico gave me a drachma. Can we contact Fleecy?" Hazel asked.

"Of course! Fleecy is one of my best mates!" **(A/N: I have no idea if they actually call people 'mate' in Australia! I don't mean to offend anyone who is Australian with a stereotype!)**

"Great!"

Ellie made a rainbow without using mist (apparently it's a power that all children of Iris have). Hazel tossed in the drachma and repeated the Fleecy thing. Sure enough, an image of Percy and Annabeth popped up. They appeared to be arguing.

"... such a Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth was saying, wrapping Percy's wrist in a bandage. "I could've taken care of that cyclops!"

"Annabeth, you were pinned against the wall. You couldn't have defended yourself!"

"But you didn't have to put your arm in front of me like that! Now it's broken!"

"Well at least... Oh my gods. Wise Girl, look!" Percy said, pointing at the image.

"Piper! Nico! Oh my gods!" Annabeth cried. She helped Percy up and they ran to the message. Both of them looked horrible. They had scrapes and bruises on their faces, arms, and legs.

"Hi!" Hazel said. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're alive, at least." Annabeth said.

"Yeah. We just fought Tartarus and his army of monsters, but it's no big deal." Percy said sarcastically.

"Guys!" Leo said. "We got a prophecy!"

"Let's hear it." Percy said.

Nico repeated it, and Frank could basically see the gears turning in Annabeth's mind.

"That isn't a pleasant prophecy." Percy noticed, being the ever-so-observant guy he was (Note the sarcasm).

"Are any prophecies pleasant?" Ellie asked.

"Good point."

"I don't know, but I think the last part means..." Annabeth was cut off by a rumbling noise.

Percy cursed. "Got to go, guys. We'll see you on the other side!" He drew Riptide and cut the image.

"Well that went well." Leo said.

* * *

**Chapter 11, done! Almost 3,000 words! Yayyy! And gest, please look into that dictionary I mentioned.**


	12. IIX

**Good gods, contrary to popular belief, I is really _NOT DEAD! _**

**Lol. Anyway, Hello, my... Uh... Fluffy... Chickies... I don't know what to call you. Um, I'll just say... _Guys. _So hello, guys! Whatever. I'll figure something out.**

**So first off, I'm sorry for the super-s****uper-duper-ultra late chapter. We lost power. Again. Then I had writer's block. I was also extremely sick. Sorry!**

**So there's something else, too. I got invited to a forum called _Percy Jackson_ _Rocks!_ It's a role play thing. I PM-ed a few other people about it, but I also offered to advertise it on my story. It's by percabethforever2511. I am currently a moderator, along with a few others. If you're interested in it, check it out! If you have any questions on the forum PM me or any of the other moderators, or percabethforever2511. I don't get on often, busy schedule. But seriously, try it! It's really fun!**

**Back to the story, it's not my best chapter; I always have trouble writing in Percy's or Annabeth's perspective. But still, Read and Review (Even if you're a guest)!**

**-KOOK**

* * *

**Annabeth**

They couldn't catch a break. So they actually made it through the forge _alive. _However, not without a few cuts and bruises from the monsters, or Tartarus screaming how he would get revenge, or Percy's fatal flaw kicking in and him getting his already injured arm broken in the process of protecting her. _Seaweed Brain._

Then, as they were talking with there friends over an Iris-Message (It energized Annabeth hearing their voices), there was another obstacle.

"I don't know, but I think the last part means..." Annabeth said when they heard the prophecy. She was cut off by a strange tremor.

Percy cursed and said, "Got to go, guys. We'll see you on the other side!" He drew Riptide and sliced through the shimmering image.

"Well that went well," Percy said.

"Seaweed Brain," Annabeth shook her head. "What _was _that?"

"I don't know, but it sounded like earlier. Maybe another passage changed." Percy said, looking around the one that they were currently in for changes.

"No," Annabeth argued. "It sounded more like an earthquake last time. This time it was like feet rumbling. Maybe Tartarus' army is still after us."

"Great." He said. "Why can't they stay dead?"

"We didn't kill _all _of them last time. Plus, lots of them probably reformed already."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a moment, both deep in thought.

Would they make it through Tartarus? They were both really weak. Although her ankle felt _much _better, it was definitely sore. Percy's arm was broken. Thankfully it wasn't his sword arm, though. But Annabeth wasn't sure how this would work. If they even made it to the doors, how would they close them? In order to do so, one of them would have to stay in Tartarus. But who would be the one to do that? Percy would definitely try. He would tell her to save herself, to stay safe. He'd say that no one needs him. But pf course peoople need him. Everybody needs him.

"Um, we need to go," Annabeth said, shaking herself out of her thoughts.

"Yeah."

Percy helped her to stand, and they began their trek. They didn't make it far before they heard a growl. Annabeth's sixth sense kicked in and she ducked just as an enormous paw sliced the air where her head had been.

"Chimera!" Percy yelled, uncapping Riptide. Annabeth drew her dagger.

The Chimera lunged at Percy. He slashed his sword at the creature's head, but he missed. Very unlike himself. He stumbled, off balance. The Chimera roared and swept Percy into the wall. She heard a horrible crunching sound as he slammed his head on the rocks. Annabeth screamed his name. "Percy!"

He didn't move. Annabeth faced the Chimera and attacked with renewed intensity. Slash, stab, duck, repeat. She figured out a rhythm. She made a gash across its nose. It roared in pain. It took a blind swing and missed her by a mile, it seemed. She stabbed its underbelly. The Chimera fell to the ground.

"Never, _ever _mess with my boyfriend again." Annabeth growled, crouching to look the Chimera in the eyes. The creature glared at her and she stabbed it through the heart. It disintegrated into a fine powder. Annabeth stood up and brushed herself off. She heard someone clapping. She whipped around to see the one, the only, the royal pain-in-the-_podex, _Tartarus!

"What do you want?" Annabeth snarled.

Tartarus smiled evilly. "Revenge."

He lunged for Percy, but she intercepted the spirit. "No." She said.

Tartarus grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. She gasped.

"You. Will. Not. Defeat me." He said. Annabeth squirmed. His grip tightened. Her mind whirred with a wide range of distractions. Suddenly it clicked. If Tartarus was really as shallow as she thought, this would be fool-proof. She turned focused on the wall behind Tartarus.

"Whoah!" Her eyes widened in 'awe'.

"What? What is it?"

"It-" Annabeth shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Tell me! Or I will kill your boyfriend!"

"Fine, when you put it that way," Annabeth mumbled. "That's just a huge Tartarus fanclub."

"A fanclub? For me? Where?" He whirled around. Annabeth took this opportunity to wiggle from his grasp and kick him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain.

She slashed at him with her dagger. But instead of impaling his neck, the knife rebounded and went flying in the other direction.

"How?" She gasped.

Tartarus smiled malichiously gain. "I'm invulnerable when it comes to demigod weapons!"

"No!"

Tartarus laughed and shoved her to the ground. She tried to get up, but he stepped on her arms so she couldn't move. Her face contorted in pain. He twisted his feet, digging his heels into her forearms.

"Get off of me!"

"Hmm... no thanks!"

"_Erre es korakas!"_

"Ooh, getting snarky, are we?" Tartarus said. He yanked her to her feet. "But we're already _in _Hell." **(A.N. I know it's 'go to the crows', but it really is a nicer way of saying 'go to Hell'.)**

Annabeth kicked him in the one spot where the sun doesn't shine. He bellowed in agony.

"You little-" He began. Annabeth punched him in the face before he cold finish his sentence. Golden Ichor dribbled down his chin from the hard blow to the mouth. He tried to lunge for her, but she dodged and he smashed into the wall. Percy began to stir.

Annabeth ran to her boyfriend and hoisted him to his feet.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain, wake up."

"Unngghmph," He groaned.

Tartarus came racing towards the two demigods. Annabeth pulled Percy out of the way. The spirit of the abyss hit his head and fell to the cold, rocky ground eith a _THUD._

"Percy!" Annabeth hollered, trying to wake him fully.

"Unnngh."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. She raised her hand and slapped her boyfriend across the face as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Percy snapped awake. "What _was _that?"

"Oh, thank the gods!" Annabeth kissed him. "We have to run."

"Wait. You're pretty and all, but... why did you just kiss me?"

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded. "This isn't the time to joke around!"

Tartarus' arm twitched.

"But why did you kiss me?"

"Because you're my boyfriend..." Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes.

"What?" He stared at her blankly. "I don't... I don't even know who you _are._"

* * *

**NOOOOOOO! I'm sorry that this happened, but don't worry! It will all be solved! Please don't hate me!**

**And don't forget to review! Even if you're a guest!**


	13. Surprise!

**Hey, Peeps! Surprise! Shocked to hear from me? Well I have some news.**

**I got a lot of reviews, especially guest reviews, saying that they were upset the story ended, and honestly, I'm flattered. I've been regretting giving up on the story since I posted that chapter with the news. **

**I guess I gave up too easily. One of the reasons for quitting the story was the amount of reviews I got. I wanted more than what I had. But is that really a good reason to discontinue a story? Of course not! I was new to FanFiction and thought I would be able to gain more confidence from it. I needed something to reassure me that I was actually good at something.**

**But now, looking back, I realize how selfish I have been. I ****_did_**** get many glowing reviews and I just threw them away. And I apologize to everyone who actually enjoyed this fic. I apologize for being a bratty, selfish, and too-proud author who was hungry for good feedback, which is what I had received yet refused to see it when it was right in front of me the whole time. **

**But the main reason I am posting this is to deliver news. Ready? Ok.**

**I might continue the story. Yep. I want to prove to you guys that I'm ****_not_**** a quitter, and I ****_can_**** be dedicated. So if you haven't lost faith in me yet, I'd like for you to give me a chance.**

**I don't know if I'll continue for sure, but I've put some serious thought into it, and realized that some people ****_do _****enjoy my writing. I can delete the 'How it Should Have Ended' chapter and create a new ending. **

**I won't be coming back to it right away, though. It would probably be after I finish Gone With The Wind, my number one priority. **

**But, yeah. I'm really really sorry for the bad choice I made. I feel so bad, and what made me see that was all of the feedback I received even ****_after_**** I had discontinued it. People still favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys never gave up, even when I did. Thank you all so much!**

**P.S. For all of you Gone With The Wind people, I know I said I would update earlier, but we went on another surprise vacation to make up for the first. I had zero time to finish the chapter, and I'm working on it now :)**


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